Not a Costbuster (Blockbuster)

Member Name: Gromit

Product:	Blockbuster
Date:	01/11/00 (140 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Relatively local, a reasonable choice

Disadvantages: Rental period very short, limited availability with popular titles

I've been a member of Blockbuster for some time now and when I was restricted to videos, as opposed to DVD, I used to use them on a regular basis. Since I moved to the DVD format, I now rarely go there.

A number of factors have contributed to me no longer using them. The main factor is the price - they were just getting a bit too expensive. It now costs £3.50 for an overnight rental. I don't know if this price is the same throughout the country, but that's the price I have to pay.

The other main factor is that the longest you can rent a video or DVD is 2 nights - unless you want to incur extra costs. Initially their DVD offerings were quite poor, but that is no longer the case. I just find it difficult to guarantee being able to watch a movie in one night, particularly during the week. Another benefit with DVDs is that they often contain a lot of extras and renting for such a short period does not allow enough time to see them.

Since moving to DVD, a number of online rental sites have become available. Whilst you don't have the ease of walking into a shop and straight back out again with your rental (if Blockbuster have it in stock), the online companies do offer 7 nights rental for only £3.49 or so. The postage is free and an envelope to return the DVD is provided, postage free. For me, this offers excellent value and I can easily plan what I want to watch in the week. The sites offer a wide selection and on only one occasion was the item I wanted not available. I generally use www.movietrak.com but other sites are available. I can certainly recommend this company for customer service because on the one occasion I was sent a slightly damaged disc (always a slight risk in the post) they replaced it free of charge and gave me a free rental. To be fair, the customer service with Blockbuster has also been good.

Perhaps it's unfair to compare these stores with an online company but it is a comparison that has to b
e made as far as I'm concerned. The convenience of having a store reasonably local (in my case 4 miles away) is very useful. However, I now find that it is much easier to go online and very much better value for money. Unless Blockbuster reduce their prices or extend their rental period, it is unlikely that I will be using them very much again.

Summary: