Blockbuster video's return date-time instructions are intentionally misleading. Here's why I say this:
If I rent something at 11 pm for one day, I expect to return it the following day, not an hour later. Pretty obvious, right? If I rent something for two days, I expect to return it two days later. If I'm told that I have a "2-day rental" but I can return it by noon on the third day, I expect to return it three days later. So, if I rent a video at 11 pm Friday night, I kind of assume the first day is Saturday, the second day is Sunday, and the third day is Monday. However, according to BBV, the first day is Friday, the second day is Saturday, and the third day is Monday. Trust me, I'm not the only person who gets confused by this.
I just left Blockbuster. While on line I overheard a customer asking the clerk about a late fee. He was certain that he had returned the video on time, and indicated that a girl working at the store had told him what day it was due. The clerk proceeded to explain to the customer why he was wrong.
When my turn came, I told the clerk that Blockbuster's due date policy was misleading. The clerk explained to me that it wasn't misleading, and I was wrong. I told him that I hoped if enough customers complained, BB might change its policy. He said that if that if we kept complaining, BB would make the return policy more restrictive. I suggested that there were other video stores around. After I paid, the clerk gave me my videos, told me they were due Friday, and said he hoped that wasn't too misleading. Jerk.
Any business should have a complaint box or complaint forms for customers to fill out. The fact that BB does not have a way to deal with complaints implies they do not care.
Why, you ask, would BBV intentionally confuse its customers? Because they make a FORTUNE on late fees. If they can trick their loyal customers into being a few hours late, they double the charge for that rental. Since many people are too busy to comlain or keep track of their charges, BBV rakes in the dough.
To summarize:
1. BBV employees appear to be trained to believe the customer is always wrong.
2. BBV intentionally misleads customers by defining day one as the day of rental, regardless of the time of rental.
3. BBV sux for lots of other reasons, too (not letting us borrow the DVD jackets, crappy selection, long lines, poor register coverage, not allowing free DVD rentals as part of the favorites program)
4. If BBV keeps this up, they should start going out of business soon. I hope.
I am protesting the most effective way I know.By cancelling my BBV membership and going to the local video store from now on.netflix.com also looks like a much better deal.
Hey, I went home, and I'm happy!
Jps
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