Blockbuster Movie + Games New Rental Policy

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filanime03

CAGiversary!
Blockbuster has finally done something right. Now if you have a monthly plan on their movies you can now rent games with it. Here is the breakdown

By Mail 1 Disc 2 Disc 3 Disc
Movie + Games 8.99 13.99 16.99

Total Access 11.99 16.99 19.99
Movies + Games
5 + instore exchanges

Here are the links:
50% off first month
2 week free trial

This deal is a lot better than what Gamefly is offering in which
1 game for 15.99
2 game for 22.95
 
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[quote name='metallicoholic']I have a similar issue sometimes. Did you make any changes to your queue recently? Sometimes I'll return a movie to the store and then go home and switch something to the top of my queue that's available now. I think that messes up the computer because as soon as the movie is scanned they start to process your next movie. Either that or maybe Batman: AA has now been moved to a wait list. If all else fails, there should be a help section where you can click on something like, "I haven't been sent my next disc" and the system should push it through automatically. I've had to do that when the employees at Blockbuster forget to scan in a disc I've returned.[/QUOTE]
Haven't touched my queue since I opened my account on the 10th. I'll just contact CS tomorrow. Not off to a good start for me..
 
[quote name='SEH']Heavily contemplating canceling my Netflix for this. I basically only use Netflix for streaming stuff, which they've been slacking on lately. $9 a month for Netflix one movie out and unlimited streaming versus Blockbusters $12 plan to have a movie and game out at a time...decisions, decisions.

Is their game selection any good? Is it easy to get new releases?[/QUOTE]

No offense, but this post reeks of "no clue what I'm talking about", haha. Netflix streaming has been slacking? What? A few months back, they inked a deal with Fox and Universal to get more and newer movies/tv shows up for streaming by agreeing to not rent new releases for 28 days after they're available to buy (helps studios by encouraging people to buy the movie). And literally just like yesterday, they signed a deal to allow Paramount, MGM, and Lion's Gate movies to be available on instant stream. To call that slacking is inane.

As for the second half of your post, BBV Online doesn't offer any game until it's been out 105 days. They're doing this to keep prices down (and I'm sure to make things more fluid for themselves when they want to get rid of "old new releases" in their stores). Based on your expectations with Netflix and their streaming, I'm sure this is completely unacceptable to you.
 
[quote name='n8rockerasu']No offense, but this post reeks of "no clue what I'm talking about", haha. Netflix streaming has been slacking? What? A few months back, they inked a deal with Fox and Universal to get more and newer movies/tv shows up for streaming by agreeing to not rent new releases for 28 days after they're available to buy (helps studios by encouraging people to buy the movie). And literally just like yesterday, they signed a deal to allow Paramount, MGM, and Lion's Gate movies to be available on instant stream. To call that slacking is inane.

As for the second half of your post, BBV Online doesn't offer any game until it's been out 105 days. They're doing this to keep prices down (and I'm sure to make things more fluid for themselves when they want to get rid of "old new releases" in their stores). Based on your expectations with Netflix and their streaming, I'm sure this is completely unacceptable to you.[/QUOTE]

I have to agree with him their streaming selection is pretty bad, when I first got Netflix I thought I would be able to see new/newish good quality movies instead most of the movies are older movies or low budget or international movies. Haven't streamed a movie for about a month now. Seems like its better if you just want to watch tv shows.
 
[quote name='n8rockerasu']No offense, but this post reeks of "no clue what I'm talking about", haha. Netflix streaming has been slacking? What? A few months back, they inked a deal with Fox and Universal to get more and newer movies/tv shows up for streaming by agreeing to not rent new releases for 28 days after they're available to buy (helps studios by encouraging people to buy the movie). And literally just like yesterday, they signed a deal to allow Paramount, MGM, and Lion's Gate movies to be available on instant stream. To call that slacking is inane.[/QUOTE]
To me it IS slacking. I canceled Netflix instantly with news of the 28 day delay. I recently went on a relative's account and I don't see any new high profile Fox or Universal movies for streaming. It's not like the deal for those companies is new. And they wonder why piracy stays strong.
 
For the amount of content to choose from, Netflix streaming is pretty good. Add in the countless numbers of TV series it is a good thing. My fiance is hooked. As for new-ness, the best way to explain this is this... they get them as new as they would be if they hit HBO, Starz, Showtime, etc... in other words, think about 2-3 months after their dvd release date.

To bring this back to Blockbuster talk, I am also in the camp of keeping Netflix stream (cut back disc to 1 and off blu-ray) and sign up for Blockbuster (2 out a time plan).
 
[quote name='LennyKravitz']To me it IS slacking. I canceled Netflix instantly with news of the 28 day delay. I recently went on a relative's account and I don't see any new high profile Fox or Universal movies for streaming. It's not like the deal for those companies is new. And they wonder why piracy stays strong.[/QUOTE]
Have you compared like-for-like services? For example, where can you get HBO for as cheap as Netflix? I previously had Starz through cable and then Directv...they both wanted $12/month for it. Netflix has Starz play which is pretty much all of the same movies, but on demand for $8/month.

Of course, if you are comparing the price or selection versus stealing/piracy thats going to be tough to beat for any legitimate business.
 
I worked a temp job in a Blockbuster online facility in Santa Ana. It was sort of fun bending the discs to see if they were cracked. And if they were cracked shiny metal flakes would fly everywhere.

Also people like to send apology sticky notes when they send a broken disc, and they also love to use packing tape. The website says i already used my trial, which I did a while back. But now they have games. Man could've rushed through a few over the weekend.
 
[quote name='V4oLDbOY']I worked a temp job in a Blockbuster online facility in Santa Ana. It was sort of fun bending the discs to see if they were cracked. And if they were cracked shiny metal flakes would fly everywhere.

Also people like to send apology sticky notes when they send a broken disc, and they also love to use packing tape. The website says i already used my trial, which I did a while back. But now they have games. Man could've rushed through a few over the weekend.[/QUOTE]

:lol:

I remember a few years back I got one cracked dvd in the mail, so I marked as damaged in my account and I put a sticky "disc is damaged when I got it." It was annoying, but it only happened once, which is not that bad considering I rented 200+ discs.

Seriously guys/gals, you can't beat the Blu-rays... Kick-Ass on BD really kicked ass, love it. And where's the best BD rental is besides Red Box?
 
Hmmm signed up last night, first game shipped today but it's estimated delivery day is the 17th. That's a crap turnover rate, if it doesn't arrive sooner i doubt i'll keep subscribing.
 
[quote name='sillymonkey321']Hmmm signed up last night, first game shipped today but it's estimated delivery day is the 17th. That's a crap turnover rate, if it doesn't arrive sooner i doubt i'll keep subscribing.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, signed up yesterday, got a notification today saying my game was shipped, will get it Tuesday. That's a long ways away. Anybody have a current list of their distribution centers? Tried real quick via Google, nothing current.
 
[quote name='BinaryTB']Yeah, signed up yesterday, got a notification today saying my game was shipped, will get it Tuesday. That's a long ways away. Anybody have a current list of their distribution centers? Tried real quick via Google, nothing current.[/QUOTE]

This was the "best" I found, from their own FAQ:
"BLOCKBUSTER has several distribution centers spread through the US."

So, yeah, helpful. I got a shipping notification yesterday that my first BR should be here by Saturday - I'll be pleasantly surprised if it shows up earlier. After my cheap month is over, I'll probably switch to that $5/mo limit 2 for games only. Can't beat that. I also got a coupon already with this plan - anyone know if the cheapest plans remove that?
 
[quote name='simpsonps121']ok, another piece of news on Blockbuster.
Apparently they are preparing to file for bankruptcy.

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/blockbuster/blockbuster-whiffs-financial-release-20290[/QUOTE]
Taking that article with a grain of salt. Their whole basis for saying that Blockbuster is going to file for bankruptcy is because they didn't put out their earnings report. First off, that would be illegal and I'm sure the SEC would come down on them. Second, they have.

http://investor.blockbuster.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=99383&p=irol-sec
 
[quote name='Zygote']This link gives 3 weeks of free trial and shows that the next biiling is in 3 weeks. The other one reported $34.99/month if you want unlimited. This one reports $19.99 for 5 free instore rentals.

http://www.blockbuster.com/bbmepb10[/QUOTE]

If blockbuster started charging my credit card, i rather get the lower price - here's the link
 
I sent a complaint to GameFly about Blockbuster entering "their market". I requested that they compete at a better price... here's what I got...

Hello,

Thank you for your inquiry. We believe GameFly offers a significantly better video game rental experience. First, with our 7,000 titles versus Blockbuster’s 3,000, we provide a wider assortment of games for you to enjoy. Second, we offer games for handheld devices while our research indicates Blockbuster does not. Finally, we rent new games on their release date while our research indicates that Blockbuster does not offer online rentals until at least 100 days after the release date.

We appreciate your loyalty and please let us know if we can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,

The GameFly Team

....

I wrote them back telling them I could care less about handheld games and wanted to know the % of handheld games that made up their 7000 games. If it's about half then they have just about as many games as Blockbuster. The disturbing thing was the 100 days after new release. Blockbuster cannot compete with a policy like this. With GameFly you only have to wait about 45 days (or get lucky, since the game is never available)
 
[quote name='gage006']Taking that article with a grain of salt. Their whole basis for saying that Blockbuster is going to file for bankruptcy is because they didn't put out their earnings report. First off, that would be illegal and I'm sure the SEC would come down on them. Second, they have.

http://investor.blockbuster.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=99383&p=irol-sec[/QUOTE]

gage - thanks for the update! The only reason to stay abreast of what is going on is so you avoid the Hollywood Video disaster. People buying a product, charged for it, but not receiving it.

I am not against Blockbuster - I want them to do well. Competition is good for the marketplace.

There are at least 2 different decisions going on here.
1. Is it better to drop Netflix and go with Blockbuster?
2. What is the best value for your money to get games?

1 is difficult to answer. Depends on your needs. I love Netflix streaming, so that means something to me. I don't need to get any more old games - I have tons of them thanks to CAG.

2 is a ton easier. If you want new releases - go with GameFly. If you are fine with the older games, go with the $5 BB plan.

What plan do I want to see Blockbuster go to?
$20 - unlimitted returns in store for anything. (BD,Games or movies) I don't care how many movies at a time, but they can start to cycle thier inventory that just sits there.
 
[quote name='Hupperware']The disturbing thing was the 100 days after new release. Blockbuster cannot compete with a policy like this. With GameFly you only have to wait about 45 days (or get lucky, since the game is never available)[/QUOTE]

You realize this is the EXACT reason BBV is cheaper than Gamefly right? Rather than have to buy extra stock for the online service, most likely, they'll just pull from stores after 3 months, when they're ready to carry significantly less of a certain game. I don't freaking get people, man. Something GOOD happens...that doesn't cost any extra money, and some people need to bitch about it. What fantasy land do you live in that you think they could have added game rental with new releases, and it not affect the plan pricing at all?
 
[quote name='sillymonkey321']If they keep the $4.99/ 2 rentals total per month option, that's perfect for casual gaming.[/QUOTE]

Agreed - this is awesome. It fits my amount of desired game rentals. I'd get about 2 games per month out of Gamefly and that was paying triple what I can pay now with blockbuster.
 
[quote name='simpsonps121']gage - thanks for the update! The only reason to stay abreast of what is going on is so you avoid the Hollywood Video disaster. People buying a product, charged for it, but not receiving it.

I am not against Blockbuster - I want them to do well. Competition is good for the marketplace.

There are at least 2 different decisions going on here.
1. Is it better to drop Netflix and go with Blockbuster?
2. What is the best value for your money to get games?

1 is difficult to answer. Depends on your needs. I love Netflix streaming, so that means something to me. I don't need to get any more old games - I have tons of them thanks to CAG.

2 is a ton easier. If you want new releases - go with GameFly. If you are fine with the older games, go with the $5 BB plan.

What plan do I want to see Blockbuster go to?
$20 - unlimitted returns in store for anything. (BD,Games or movies) I don't care how many movies at a time, but they can start to cycle thier inventory that just sits there.[/QUOTE]

Personally, I think the best option is to drop Netflix down to the cheapest plan that still allows streaming and use Blockbuster for everything else. You get the best of both world with that method. I think the one thing everyone can agree on is that Gamefly needs to get their fuck together. Sure Gamefly carries new releases on the day they come out but you have to keep an empty queue in order to get them and even then, it's pure luck. Gamefly shipping both ways is also incredibly slow from what I have experienced and they charge a ton more than BB. Personally, I hope Gamefly goes out of business, instead of Blockbuster.
 
[quote name='Hupperware']
I wrote them back telling them I could care less about handheld games and wanted to know the % of handheld games that made up their 7000 games. If it's about half then they have just about as many games as Blockbuster. The disturbing thing was the 100 days after new release. Blockbuster cannot compete with a policy like this. With GameFly you only have to wait about 45 days (or get lucky, since the game is never available)[/QUOTE]
I'm not a current customer, but I have had a better experience than that with Gamefly. If you have the game as #1 in your queue a week or two ahead of release you have at least a 50% chance of getting it. If you don't get it though, you are right that it can be a month or two later before you get another shot at it.
 
Got my first game from BB today, Heavy Rain. Willing to give this a go for a month or two and see how it goes. I hated Gamefly and have generally just bought games, finding deals on here. But for slightly older games that don't take forever to complete, this might just fit the bill. I stupidly signed up for the two-at-a-time unlimited and now it won't let me change it back to 1-at-a-time/2 per month until next month, which I think is more of what I need to complete games prior to sending them back. Unfortunately, the kids and wife make it difficult to complete even a 5-7 hour game in two weeks. And $4.99 will allow me to keep the lowest price Netflix that allows streaming.
 
I reported The Venture Bros unplayable and today I received an email stating that they had sent out COD:WAW. So far I'm liking it way better than Gamefly since I get games much faster.
 
[quote name='BinaryTB']Yeah, signed up yesterday, got a notification today saying my game was shipped, will get it Tuesday. That's a long ways away. Anybody have a current list of their distribution centers? Tried real quick via Google, nothing current.[/QUOTE]

From what the envelope said, there is one in Flushing, NY.
 
[quote name='n8rockerasu']You realize this is the EXACT reason BBV is cheaper than Gamefly right? Rather than have to buy extra stock for the online service, most likely, they'll just pull from stores after 3 months, when they're ready to carry significantly less of a certain game. I don't freaking get people, man. Something GOOD happens...that doesn't cost any extra money, and some people need to bitch about it. What fantasy land do you live in that you think they could have added game rental with new releases, and it not affect the plan pricing at all?[/QUOTE]

Well n8, I can see by your avatar picture that you probably don't think clearly ;).

Your post makes some semblance of sense, however you are misguided. Blockbuster has every right to be more expensive than GameFly for 2 reasons.
#1 they run B&M stores.
#2 they have kiosks.
However, they came out with a cheaper plan to undercut both Netflix and GameFly.

Would you apply your same argument to new release videos? Unlikely.

Blockbuster, GameFly and retailers don't spend $60 per copy of the game. They buy it for a wholesale and rent it until it sits on the shelf at which point they have to sell it (or in Blockbuster's case stick it in their online inventory). Blockbuster still purchases new games in order to rent them in-store, however this rental process is antiquated. If they shift allocation of some new release games from B&M stores to online rental, there is no difference with how they do rentals now except replacing a B&M rental with an online one. That said, online game rental becomes a primary stream of revenue and has a wide potential of new customers and will put some pressure on the other online rental companies... but only if they offer the same service.

My "bitch" as you so kindly put it was simply asking GameFly (a service I've been a subscriber to for many years) to compete with the new price point.
 
So, if I were to sign up for this, the closest BBV to me is 20 miles away. I have a kiosk in town though, so could I get the 5 free movies from the kiosk? I'm debating on starting this, just for the game rentals. It'd save me some money on older titles I was curious about.

Heck, $20 a month for Netflix and BBV combined isn't bad...
 
I emailed blockbuster about the delay on video games and the rep said:

Pleased be informed that the new released games will only be$available for shipment$ after 105 days from$ the date it was released.$ This is to make sure that we will have enough copies of the games$ to satisfy$ our customers demands.

Kinda sucks but still a great deal
 
Thanks! I ordered 3 games a few days ago and I got them today. So I removed auto billing for PayPal and I am just going to keep the 3 games and resell them for profit. fuck Blockbuster
 
[quote name='CAGExtraordinare11']Thanks! I ordered 3 games a few days ago and I got them today. So I removed auto billing for PayPal and I am just going to keep the 3 games and resell them for profit. fuck Blockbuster[/QUOTE]

Wow, can we all say "THEFT" at the same time? If you hate Blockbuster, just don't give them money, or go write them hate-mail. But please don't fucking steal from them cuz a) it's a douchebag move, and b) you're ruining the deal for the rest of us who actually want to play some of their games.
 
[quote name='CAGExtraordinare11']Thanks! I ordered 3 games a few days ago and I got them today. So I removed auto billing for PayPal and I am just going to keep the 3 games and resell them for profit. fuck Blockbuster[/QUOTE]

Cool story. Thanks for coming here to brag about theft, we all really appreciate those kinds of stories.
 
[quote name='CAGExtraordinare11']Thanks! I ordered 3 games a few days ago and I got them today. So I removed auto billing for PayPal and I am just going to keep the 3 games and resell them for profit. fuck Blockbuster[/QUOTE]
I'm neutral for most of the time, but this guy.... sigh, please ban him.
 
[quote name='CAGExtraordinare11']Thanks! I ordered 3 games a few days ago and I got them today. So I removed auto billing for PayPal and I am just going to keep the 3 games and resell them for profit. fuck Blockbuster[/QUOTE]

Doesn't matter if you "removed" your PayPal info ... they still have it and can still charge you for the stolen discs plus I'm sure they'll have a nice conversation with your friendly local police department
 
[quote name='bagwelljeff']Doesn't matter if you "removed" your PayPal info ... they still have it and can still charge you for the stolen discs plus I'm sure they'll have a nice conversation with your friendly local police department[/QUOTE]

That's not true at all. Check your facts before you speak.
 
If they keep this up, it seals me keeping Blockbuster.
People need to get over it. I've heard bad things about Netflix, Gamefly, and Blockbuster. Personally I think it's just the "in thing" right now to hate BB.

Only had a few minor issues in the 3 years we have used their mail service. Overall we are happy with it.

Sure Gamefly might have the newer games, but from the look of things, I'd be months getting any reasonably popular game in the mail from GF anyway.
 
I heard this was coming a few weeks ago from an employee in store. I'm personally all for the idea. So far, the games have been available with no wait time. I figured by now they'd have tons of new users getting games, I dont know if thats a good thing or a bad thing though. I changed my plan from 2 at a time to 3 at a time the morning i read the news and i've already got BFBC2 at home. I've had Gamefly, Gamez-n-flix (Terrible) and Netflix but we recently switched to BB to avoid the Blu-ray fee and the lack of new movie releases. Gamefly never sent me games I really wanted, and the cost was just too high for games I didnt want to try that badly. I almost wish BB would offer a 4 out at a time plan.
 
[quote name='CAGExtraordinare11']That's not true at all. Check your facts before you speak.[/QUOTE]
Isnt it likely that they'll have your mailing address to send you a bill? Or, call the police to at the least file a report? What good are bare discs for reselling anyway? Games that BB offers arent worth a lot in the trading/reselling market, is it really worth the $10 per game you'll get (if that)?
 
[quote name='CXK']Isnt it likely that they'll have your mailing address to send you a bill? Or, call the police to at the least file a report? What good are bare discs for reselling anyway? Games that BB offers arent worth a lot in the trading/reselling market, is it really worth the $10 per game you'll get (if that)?[/QUOTE]

BB won't call the police and the games I got go for $30+ on eBay
 
Sorry if this has been asked, but do they rent out Gamecube games with this online plan? I'm on the Blockbuster website but I'm having a hard time finding anything. It all seems to be DS, PS2/3, Wii, and Xbox/360. I searched for "Gamecube" and got all of 7 results which seemed like they were only available for purchase. I just got a Wii and never had a Gamecube, so the main thing I'm looking for is a service where I can rent a lot of Gamecube games since I have some catching up to do.
 
[quote name='sillymonkey321']I don't see any of those free rental coupons after signing up. Is that only for older accounts back when they were doing them?[/QUOTE]

I got an email about mine, but I signed up for a trial on the Total Access plan - maybe that's the difference?
 
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100 days for new releases? That's about how long it took to get them with Gamefly anyway!

I'm willing to give this a try again w/ Blockbuster, though it looks like hey dropped their 2 discs a month plan. There a bunch of older games I have always wanted to play, but never wanted to drop $9 on them.

How long until Redbox adds game rentals? I'd gladly pay $1 per night to just try a game to see if I like it.
 
[quote name='radioactivez0r']My disc shipped yesterday and got here today, so that would lend some credence to the fact that Portland has a distribution center.[/QUOTE]
Your envelope would say where it shipped from. According to everything I've read it looks like Seattle is the closest. Any chance you can check your envelope to see if it says PDX? That'd be amazing.
 
[quote name='Jimbo Slice']What is the absolute cheapest plan?[/QUOTE]

[quote name='Astro7x']I'm willing to give this a try again w/ Blockbuster, though it looks like hey dropped their 2 discs a month plan. There a bunch of older games I have always wanted to play, but never wanted to drop $9 on them.[/QUOTE]

The 2-disc a month limited plan is the cheapest at $4.99 and it's only for returning subscribers. Depending on how many games you rent, though, the unlimited one-disc a month plan at $8.99 may be cheaper. Blockbuster has a lot more distribution centers than Gamefly, so you'll probably receive your games much faster, as long as they're not popular or recent.

On a different note, I'm having problems removing games from queue right now, but can remove movies just fine. Anyone else have this problem?
 
[quote name='CatEyes']Sorry if this has been asked, but do they rent out Gamecube games with this online plan? I'm on the Blockbuster website but I'm having a hard time finding anything. It all seems to be DS, PS2/3, Wii, and Xbox/360. I searched for "Gamecube" and got all of 7 results which seemed like they were only available for purchase. I just got a Wii and never had a Gamecube, so the main thing I'm looking for is a service where I can rent a lot of Gamecube games since I have some catching up to do.[/QUOTE]

If you want gamecube games you'll have to sign up for gamefly, but I'm not sure about the availability of the games.
 
[quote name='whitereflection']On a different note, I'm having problems removing games from queue right now, but can remove movies just fine. Anyone else have this problem?[/QUOTE]
Had that problem, until I reactivated my subscription, problem went away immediately upon activation.
 
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