# C'mon Blockbuster, why the charade? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 10, 2005, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106 "2005-01-10T22:08:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106/41 "2005-01-12T21:20:22Z")
> [@Bendarr](#): > > All they would have had to do was put a hold on the acount till he paid up and I know that he’s pretty good about such things like that. IMHO I feel that for a late fee of $3.00 that was considerable overkill. Well, accounts with balances do get a hold put on them - that way if you try to rent from another store they know you have a balance elsewhere. But at some point the outstanding debt must be paid. I agree that for a small balance it’s ridiculous to turn over to collections - for every account that was turned over we paid out probably $2 to the collection agency to cover mailings and calls, etc. So in that sense it wasn’t even cost effective. But at what point can you really say a business has no right to attempt to collect an outstanding debt? “But it’s only a couple bucks,” you say. But it’s not just one or two accounts. It’s hundreds of accounts every few weeks, a couple bucks here, a few there. It adds up. And before you know it you’ve got thousands of dollars of uncollected debt. :shrug: I don’t really know where the mindset that late fees can be paid at the customer’s discretion came from, but people seem to think they can leave a balance on their account for a few years, and we should have no problem with it. ---
**Author:** ![moi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@moi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moi)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106/42 "2005-01-12T22:09:10Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > “no more late fees” > “The end of late fees as we know it!” > > Compare and contrast. What you’ve done is taken the new slogan, edited it in your head to be the way you wish it to be, then complain that it’s deceptive. “No more late fees, ever, until the end of time, and if you return a movie within 10 years of rental time, we’ll give you a fantastic blowjob.” Hrmph. The blowjob they gave me was only good, not fantastic. Damn Blockbuster! Those bastards! Is it really that outrageous to assume that “the end of late fees” equals “no more penalties for keeping movies beyond their due dates”? I think this is especially true since “no late fees” plays a large part in Netflix’s advertising and they mean it as just that. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106/43 "2005-01-12T22:35:16Z")
> [@moi](#): > > Is it really that outrageous to assume that “the end of late fees” equals “no more penalties for keeping movies beyond their due dates”? I think this is especially true since “no late fees” plays a large part in Netflix’s advertising and they mean it as just that. But I thought “The end of late fees as we know it” was the actual slogan. Be that as it may (what the fuck does that phrase mean, anyway?), “no more late fees” does not necessarily imply that they’ll let you keep a movie forever. There is still a due date. And if you miss it, they give you another due date. If you miss that one, they’ll give you yet another. If you’ve failed to return the movie in all that time, they’ll assume you want to keep the movie and they’ll sell it to you. If you argue, they’ll refund your money. They still haven’t charged you a late fee. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106/44 "2005-01-12T22:41:39Z")
Q: Do you have late fees? A: No. Q: Will you charge me if I bring a DVD back late? A: Of course. But it’s not a late fee. Q: What is it, then? A: It’s an EEEF. Q: What’s an EEEF? A: “Extended & Enhanced Enjoyment Fee.” We don’t have any “late” fees. Heh. If BB doesn’t change its business model soon, it will be out of business in ten years, anyway, when streaming video on demand becomes common. Mark my words. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106/45 "2005-01-12T23:16:30Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Heh. If BB doesn’t change its business model soon, it will be out of business in ten years, anyway, when streaming video on demand becomes common. Mark my words. What would be a good business model for them? ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106/46 "2005-01-12T23:30:16Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Heh. If BB doesn’t change its business model soon, it will be out of business in ten years, anyway, when streaming video on demand becomes common. Mark my words. I don’t disagree with you, I think they’re on their way down too, but this _is_ a change in their business model. They’re not charging a fee for late returns - they’re selling them outright. So there’s no ‘fee’ of any sort, save the restocking fee if you decide you don’t want to keep your purchase. Looks to me like BBV will soon be moving to a retail-only format, if anything. I don’t know that they have the resources to compete with Netflix. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106/47 "2005-01-12T23:31:32Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > What would be a good business model for them? Dunno for sure. But if I were CEO of BB, I would be desperately searching for some way to cash in on what is likely to be the method of delivering media content to the home in the future – streaming video. Perhaps buy into a cable company or investigate wide-range wireless services (like WiMax). Or begin to set up enormous media servers. For the short term, probably expand into a Netflix-style business model – the mails reach into every home in the country, and include those who aren’t close to a store. Me, for example – the nearest BB is 50 miles away but my mailbox is at the end of my (short) driveway. ---
**Author:** ![kung\_fu\_lola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f4b2a3/32.png) [@kung\_fu\_lola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kung_fu_lola)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106/48 "2005-01-12T23:32:07Z")
> [@Silver Serpentine](#): > > \kung fu lola\- Do you work at a franchise store? Cause corporate late fees are just a re-check out to the person. Not halved. At my store, a $4.32 7 day rental would be rechecked-out to you after noon on the 8th day. SO, you get another 8 days for the $4.32 rental cost. Actually, I work for **Blockbuster Canada** , which is (so they tell me) a completely different company from **Blockbuster Inc.**. Which probably explains the difference. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106/49 "2005-01-12T23:42:17Z")
> [@XJETGIRLX](#): > > Looks to me like BBV will soon be moving to a retail-only format, if anything. I don’t know that they have the resources to compete with Netflix. Yes, retail is pretty darn close to what they are doing now. And if you can buy a DVD for the same price as a 3-day rental, why rent? But I would think BB would be ideally situated to convert to a Netflix model. Or supplement store rentals with it. Thinking logistically, it wouldn’t take much in the way of programming or computers to link all stores in a special network so that if an order comes in for a particular title, the store nearest to the destination and/or with the largest inventory automatically ships it. I imagine that the combined total of inventory at all BB stores would rival Netflix’s. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106/50 "2005-01-13T08:09:05Z")
> [@The King of Soup](#): > > because they’ve installed a sign on their front door saying “Smile! you’re being photographed!” that I find to be a little too up-front and cheery a way of telling me they don’t think I’m to be trusted. Don’t take it personally or do you think there are no crooks in this world? Maybe they are just looking for that guy that’s being too friendly with the clerks. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106/51 "2005-01-13T12:22:06Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > “no more late fees” > “The end of late fees as we know it!” > > Compare and contrast. What you’ve done is taken the new slogan, edited it in your head to be the way you wish it to be, then complain that it’s deceptive. > [@tdn](#): > > But I thought “The end of late fees as we know it” was the actual slogan. **tdn** , have you actually seen the commercial? It features a marching crowd chanting “NO MORE LATE FEES! NO MORE LATE FEES!” Then they arrive at a Blockbuster, where an innocent employee unfurls a sign that reads “NO MORE LATE FEES!” The surprised crowd reads “NO MORE LATE FEES?!” and begins to party. So it could not be more crystal fucking clear that Blockbuster is marketing this as NO MORE LATE FEES, even though the announcer then says “the end of late fees as we know it,” which (as you say) may be the actual slogan. **Hampshire** is not being deceptive. The difference between “No more late fees” and “the end of late fees as we know it” is so obvious that I figured somebody was being misleading the first time I saw the commercial. Also, neither you nor the Blockbuster legal department is clever enough to convince me that if you charge me for keeping a movie for too long, you are not charging me a late fee. ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106/52 "2005-01-13T12:57:09Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > But I would think BB would be ideally situated to convert to a Netflix model. Or supplement store rentals with it. You mean kind of like [this](http://www.blockbuster.com/homepages/displaySubscriptionOffer.action)? ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106/53 "2005-01-13T13:05:39Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > The difference between “No more late fees” and “the end of late fees as we know it” is so obvious that I figured somebody was being misleading the first time I saw the commercial. Even given that the slogan were ‘No More Late Fees, Ever, in a Thousand Bajillion Years’, how is that deceptive? There really are no more late fees. Keep the tape a week past the due date and you’re not charged a late fee. The product is sold to you. Nothing misleading there. > [@](#): > > Also, neither you nor the Blockbuster legal department is clever enough to convince me that if you charge me for keeping a movie for too long, you are not charging me a late fee. I guess by your logic then, if you steal a bathrobe from a hotel and they charge your card for it, that’s just an ‘extended use fee’? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106/54 "2005-01-13T13:10:05Z")
> [@XJETGIRLX](#): > > Keep the tape a week past the due date and you’re not charged a late fee. The product is sold to you. Nothing misleading there. Or, if I return it and do not keep it, I’m charged a fee. Which is not a late fee, even though it’s a fee being charged because I returned the tape late. Right? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106/55 "2005-01-13T13:29:12Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Dunno for sure. That’s hardly a satisfying answer. OK, let’s start here: Would it be a good business model if they sold $25 videos for $4.95? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106/56 "2005-01-13T13:42:12Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > **tdn** , have you actually seen the commercial? Yep, last night. My bad, sorry. > [@Marley23](#): > > Also, neither you nor the Blockbuster legal department is clever enough to convince me that if you charge me for keeping a movie for too long, you are not charging me a late fee. I guess it’s a game of semantics. You call it a late fee. They call it a sales charge. I call it recouping the money they lost because you thought you could get away with stealing a movie because you you couldn’t be arsed to return a freakin’ month ago. Honestly, do you really expect them to just give the things away? They just went from being pretty-damn-forgiving to over-the-fucking-top-forgiving, and all they get is flak for racheting up their greed. Stupid, stupid. Can anyone here actually propose a business model for them that will satisfy even the stupidest cynics, and yet still keep them in business? “I’m not sure” is not an answer. Show me the fucking money. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106/57 "2005-01-13T13:44:15Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Or, if I return it and do not keep it, I’m charged a fee. Which is not a late fee, even though it’s a fee being charged because I returned the tape late. Right? Wrong. What is so fucking difficult about this? ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106/58 "2005-01-13T14:02:31Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Or, if I return it and do not keep it, I’m charged a fee. Which is not a late fee, even though it’s a fee being charged because I returned the tape late. Right? No, you’re not charged a fee because the tape is late. You are sold the tape because you didn’t return it by the contractually agreed-upon time. If you decide to repent and return the item to it’s owner, you are allowed a refund, but they will at that point charge you a restocking fee (a whopping dollar and change! Og forbid!) for their efforts (when tapes are sold a replacement must be ordered and processed into the system for rental). I still fail to see how anywhere in that entire equation you can still say that you’re being charged a late fee. If your gripe is that you’re being charged at all, then maybe you should just start trying to steal things outright. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Escorpio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@El\_Escorpio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Escorpio)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106/59 "2005-01-13T14:27:49Z")
Hey, it’s great that they’re improving their business model. If Blockbuster had always been this way, I think I might have liked them quite a bit. But there are many of us (not to sound too melodramatic) that have long memories of what a royal pain in the ass it was to rent from Blockbuster and what a reaming you got when you didn’t return that one video (out of 300) on time. Blockbuster’s definitely on the right track, but I don’t think they should get too impatient about everyone lavishing them with affection. Years of avoiding BB can’t be erased with a wave of the hand. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106/60 "2005-01-13T14:38:16Z")
> [@El Escorpio](#): > > But there are many of us (not to sound too melodramatic) that have long memories of what a royal pain in the ass it was to rent from Blockbuster and what a reaming you got when you didn’t return that one video (out of 300) on time. Reaming? “Uh, looks here like you have a late fee of $3.95. Would you like to take care of that now?” Reaming? Melodramatic, indeed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cmon-blockbuster-why-the-charade/284106.md?page=4)