Blockbuster says I never returned a DVD

[frannn]

That was returned last week with all the others I had out. They checked in all the others, but called me to say this one, Kill Bill was missing. I KNOW I returned it. The rep said he would look for it tommorrow, and that maybe someone just misplaced it, since it's not on the shelf. I'm wondering if they re rented it before checking it in......
How do I prove I returned it?

 

[fran99999]

Blockbuster is known for this. I cut up my card when they did the same thing to me the 2nd time. I went over to the movies and took all the ones off the shelf and asked them to scan them. Mine was in the pile thank goodness so they removed the late charges ( after I refused to pay).
I know it's to late for U but, remember to ask for a return receipt from them when U return there. They will also sign the check out sheet.

Good luck!!

 

[mtblujeans]

I had that happen to me once, too, and they found it on the shelf. Someone had put it back on the shelf without checking it in. I would suggest that, if they don't find it, they should check their entire inventory of that movie and see if they are all accounted for (to see if they indeed checked it out without checking it back in). If they can find every single copy, you obviously returned it to them. Good luck!!

 

[Dopey Sharon]

That happened to me too, but with a game. I returned them in the night drop. They called a few days later to tell me it was still out. I know I returned both of them. They did take the late charges off and didn't charge me for the game, but I never used the night drop again.

Unless you get a receipt, showing you returned any rentals, it's your word against theirs whether or not you returned anything.

 

[HookedOnDiz]

Allow me to lend some advice from someone who used to work at Blockbuster in a former life (before I got a "real" job, got married, and became a proud father).... anyway... every morning the store is supposed to print out a list of all the over-due rentals. An employee is then assigned to take the list and check the shelves just to make sure that the movies/games didn't make it back to the shelf without being checked in. If the movie or game is "found on the shelf" or FOS as us Blockbuster employees call it, then the movie/game is checked back in and any associated late charges are credited off the customer's account. Of course this system only works if the movie was put back in the right spot on the shelf... if it got misfiled and put back somewhere else then it might not be found for days or even months until they do the next inventory.

I would call the manager and ask him if his staff does an "FOS" check everyday... if not it could be lurking out there on the shelf. As I said, even if they do the FOS check, it won't be found except by accident if its in the wrong spot on the shelf...

Anyway... hopes this helps and thanks for walking down memory lane with me... can't believe I remember all that stuff from 11 years ago!

 

[HookedOnDiz]

Originally posted by mtblujeans
I would suggest that, if they don't find it, they should check their entire inventory of that movie and see if they are all accounted for (to see if they indeed checked it out without checking it back in). If they can find every single copy, you obviously returned it to them. Good luck!!

A blockbuster movie can't be "checked out" if it was never "checked in"... if someone brought it up to the counter and tried to rent it then the computer would alert the cashier that it was never checked back in. The proper thing for the cashier to do would be check it back in as "found on shelf" and this would avoid any late fees for the original customer. The movie could then be rented by the next customer.

 

[fam4jc]

We never rent movies anymore. We only buy previously viewed. This change happened after a local (not blockbuster) video store did the same thing to me. We had returned the video in the box drop but they didn't check it in. I had no idea there was a problem until a sheriff's deputy called our house to say he was looking at an unsigned arrest warrent for me!!!

 

[ceecee]

We bought a "previously viewed" 101 Dalmatian Christmas vhs, got it home and it was an R rated movie. DD really wanted that movie, so we went back and they just fiqured it was in another case and gone. We looked on the shelf and the Christmas one was in the regular 101 Dalmatian sleeve, so we got it!
I got an overdue notice on a book one time and found it on the shelf! I can see how it can happen.

 

[kilee]

Our Blockbuster is experts at the not brought back tactic. I don't know what it is-- but this seems to happen at least once every 6 months. It's actually been quite awhile since I've rented from them just because I'm so sick of their inability to do things right.

 

[PrincessofQuiteAlot]

We have cancelled our membership there and joined Netflix instead. I recently had returned two movies in the drop box and they said I had returned one of them late. I explained they both came back together and on the date they claimed I had returned one, I was home from work that day, sick in bed. I must have had the "this mom is over this and i'm not backing down look" cause he took it off my bill and we have not gone back since -

 

[mrsmom]

It funny this just happen to us this past week, we rented two games for the kids and they said one was return on Thurs and the other Sat, when both were returned on Tues morning in the drop box. and we were out of town Wed- Sun, My dh went in and talk to them they credited our account but i will take it in from now on, If it happens again , i will tear up my cards. Because all those charges starts adding up

Kim

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

same thing happened to us. My husband brought back a movie and they said it was never returned. The gum chewing 16 yr old clerk was giving my husband a hard time when the manager came over and said, "If he says he returned the movie, he returned it! Credit him." She did.

It sometimes comes to about the same to wait and buy a movie at Wal Mart (VHS) they usually have most of them for around 5.50 in my area. There have been very few if any movies I have been "dying" to see so I just wait.

 

[summersfam4]

I will not go to blockbuster due to the people working in ours (not that I can anymore anyway as they closed about two weeks ago). The first time I went in to open an account when I gave the guy behind the counter my cc (to open the account only) he announced loudly that I must have been doing alot of shopping that day because my credit card had been denied. I was mortified because everyone in line heard (small town) then I found out after calling that the credit card wasn't activated yet (I had been carrying it for weeks but had forgotten to activate it, I don't like cc's anyway). The same guy was the one who called me about a movie that I had already returned but he said was late. Finally after they called and left a nasty message telling me that my cc was going to be charged, DH and I went down to the store and spent over an hour looking over shelves only to find my previously returned movie on the wrong shelf. The same guy as the first time had the nerve to try to charge me the late fees anyway! Sorry to anyone who has worked there, it's definately our blockbuster people. Video Warehouse and the Movie Gallery for me (granted I pay lots of late charges there too but at least they are late charges that I know I owe). So you might want to go take a look around the store for your DVD, I'm sure it's there. Sorry that you are being put through so much trouble.

Kelly

 

[Kitster]

that's my response whenever anyone mentions Blockbuster to me. I will never again darken their door.....Blockbuster's that is. If you only rent 5 movies a month, you break even; anything over that is a bonus.

Yes I know Netflix costs $19.95 per month and may be increasing prices in the near future. I just love letting my fingers do the walking thru their incredible database of old and new DVD's.

 

[tikilyn]

You know that if you go to Netflix online and go throught the cancel process a window will open offering you a discount to say with them. I got 3 movies per month for 15.99 for six months plus tax. Saved a couple of dollars for Disney!!

Sabrina

 

[frannn]

Apparently, they only found a Kill Bill dvd, but not the box. They said I could claim I returned that one, so I did. I asked what could have possibly happened to the box, and the counter guy said that "no one at my store would take/hide a box, as they know it would cause more work for everyone else". So what does that mean? That I threw it in the return area with no box? I did not do that. Then, I asked the guy about late fees, and he says they did charge 4.88. I tried to use logic with him....if they found the dvd, doesn't that mean it wasn't returned late because they lost it????? And they did mention they would use the "Found on Shelf" code. The guy said he reversed the late fees, so no harm done. From now on, I will wait on line and have them check the movies in while I watch. Unreal. This is why I usually do not go to Blockbuster.

 

[garettdoyle]

Similiar experience at Blockbuster a few years ago with lost movies and mystery late fees. No more renting from Blockbuster for our family. Our family rents from the neighborhood grocery. They rents DVDs for $0.99 and $2.99 (new releases). Much cheaper than blockbuster. If I really like the movie, I just buy them. That way I can watch them at my leisure. So, I either buy DVDs or rent from the grocery.

The movie studios have been dropping the prices on new and previously released DVDs. They make more money sellng them then renting (via Blockbuster, Hollywood Video, etc.). If you shop, you usually can purchase a new release for $15 bucks and old movies are often under $10. I bought three for $20 on bestbuy.com with free shipping just the other day. That is $6.66 each whereas Blockbuster is charging about $5.

I predict Blockbuster doesn't survive. Here is why:

1) People are buying more DVDs not renting.
2) VOD - Cable, Satellite & VDSL.
3) Netflix and other subscription services
4) Pirating on the Internet (Napster type services)
5) Illegal copies (especially from Asia)
6) Disposable DVDs (single use)

Just my thoughts.

 

[mom of five]

This is my story:

Two summers ago, I enrolled in this pay-n-play video game program. 19.95 unlimited gaming--cost effective for my crew!
Anyway, cancelled it at the end of the summer per agreement.

A couple months ago, I guess I didnt return a video on time and they took the late charge out of my checking account with no notice at all! Okay, I know it was only like $3.50, but that is scary.

I called and complained and they said that the employee who did the gaming program wasn't to suppose to have accepted a debit card. I said, "well, I cancelled that about two years ago anyway." They said they keep it on file. I said "well, take it off file." And he said he couldn't. He said he'd have to cancel my membership and then open up a new one for me without the card attached. I told him that he could just cancel my membership and that I thought that it was pretty close to illegal them taking money out of my checking account without my knowledge. He really didn't care.

 

[2angelsinheaven]

Once before we got Netflix they did the same thing to us, EXCEPT we had a CC on file so they just went ahead and as their letter said "saved us the trouble" and charged the movie price and the late fees to the CC, it was only when I got a unknown charge for $30++ dollars on my CC bill that I called to ask who it was from.... and found out it was BB.
Netflix all the way now, no late fees, they allow so many "lost" movies a year, etc... much better... much better!
Their middle plan is $22.00 a month I think for 4 movies at a time, send one back, get another... no shipping fees, etc. 1 day turn around and you'd only have to rent 4-5 movies a month from BB to make it a deal!

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

Just had to sing in the chorus. This happened over and over again to us at Blockbuster, and never at the other 2 video rental stores we used before we switched to Netflix (which we're crazy about, by the way.) We would get a letter in the mail from Blockbuster months and months after returning a video notifying us that we had returned a tape late. When we would go in to try to correct the problem, they'd always give us a really hard time. Sometimes we would just give in to avoid the fight, and sometimes they would act like they were doing us the biggest favor in the world and take the charge off our bill with the "we're just going to do it this time, don't screw up again" speech. Since we are always careful about video returns (obsessive Disney planners can be obsessive about other plans too), that attitude eventually led us to stop going to Blockbuster. After trying Netflix for a month we were hooked and have never looked back. Once in awhile we supplement with a rental from a video store, but never Blockbuster, never again!