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Blockbuster Online Review

Star Ratings: Number of Movie Titles: Ease of Use / Navigation: Turnaround Time: Features: Ease of joining / registration: Customer Support: Value for Money: Editor's Overall Rating: Average User Rating: None posted

No. of Movie Titles: 80,000 plus

Membership Costs:

A mindbending choice of packages of three basic types:

1. Mail Only packages:

• 1 DVD at a time for $3.99, limit of 2 DVDs per month
• 1 DVD at a time for $8.99, no monthly rental limit
• 2 DVDs at a time for $13.99, no monthly rental limit
• 3 DVDs at a time for $15.99, no monthly rental limit

2. “Total Access” packages - mail AND free in-store exchanges (up to monthly limit):

• 1 DVD at a time for $9.99, limit of 2 free in-store exchanges per month, limit of 2 DVDs per month by mail
• 1 DVD at a time for $11.99, limit of 2 free in-store exchanges per month, no monthly rental limit by mail
• 2 DVDs at a time for $16.99, limit of 3 free in-store exchanges per month, no monthly rental limit by mail
• 3 DVDs at a time for $19.99, limit of 5 free in-store exchanges per month, no monthly rental limit by mail

3. “Total Access” Premium packages – mail AND unlimited free in-store exchanges

• 1 DVD at a time for $21.99, unlimited free in-store exchanges, no monthly rental limit
• 2 DVDs at a time for $29.99, unlimited free in-store exchanges, no monthly rental limit
• 3 DVDs at a time for $34.99, unlimited free in-store exchanges, no monthly rental limit
  

Features:

• Free shipping
• Keep DVDs as long as you like
• No minimum contract
• No late fees
• Cancel anytime - no extra fee
• Also rents games
• First month half price
• Gift packages available
• Free in-store exchanges available
• DVDs sold as well as rented
• Website is secure
• Website includes many film reviews, member’s recommendations and lists to help you pick

Editor's Verdict:

Blockbuster's selection is huge, its service fast and professional, its coverage comprehensive. They have, after all, being doing this for a long time: the online service is just the latest outgrowth of a massive movie rental empire that began over 20 years ago with a single store in Dallas renting out VHS tapes (remember those?) to film-hungry Texans. Now Blockbuster is all grown up, it's in every mall and all over the internet, just waiting to squeeze a world of entertainment into your mailbox.

The website itself is nicely laid out following a recent revamp, festooned with the familiar blue and gold theme that pervades their stores. This is no accident as the website is run in conjunction with the stores themselves, allowing you to return DVDs you receive to the stores as well as by mail. Better yet, this entitles you to free in-store rental (or a discount on game rental) when you return a DVD, which makes a whole heap of sense because Blockbuster get more people coming into their stores and you get free stuff, so everybody wins. Note though, that to take advantage of this you have to join that particular store separately as well as subscribing online, this is currently free but don’t forget to take some ID with you the first time you go. The website itself is lively, accessible and highly browsable, encouraging an interest in current releases as well as those already available for rental. The range of ways you can browse DVDs and pick them for your rental list is pretty much the best you’ll see, and the recommendations system uncannily refined in its tastes. Actually DVD rental is just one aspect of the site, which offers the whole enchilada of movie information, clips and news too.

The rental service itself works much like many of the other DVD rental sites listed in this category. You create a list of DVDs you want and however many DVDs your package allows you to have at once are sent to you by post. When you're done watching them, you just pop them in the pre-paid return envelope. As soon as they receive your returned DVDs they'll mail you the next batch of DVDs from your list. Mostly it takes one or two days for a DVD to reach you (or make its way back to the depot on the return journey). Whilst this is a limiting factor in terms of how many DVDs a month you can squeeze out of most online DVD rental operations, Blockbuster has the added advantage that you can return DVDs yourself to any Blockbuster store as soon as you’re done with them and trigger your next DVD shipping right away. This way you can, conceivably, return your DVDs one day and have a good chance of receiving the next batch in the mail the next morning, though obviously that depends on the vagaries of our wonderful US mail service. Arguably, of course, this negates the convenience of being able to receive and dispatch DVDs without hardly leaving the house, but if you regularly happen to pass a Blockbuster store on your way to work or college (and there are over 9,000 stores so there’s a good chance you do) this could really maximise the bang you get for your buck.

Similarly, choosing the right package for you will be a matter of matching what’s on offer to your own lifestyle and appetite for movies. The options on offer are, it has to be said, highly competitive. There are a lot of them too. In some cases you save a buck or two on the equivalent packages offered by our number one choice although, unlike Netflix, Blockbuster do not include a movie downloads service in the price. The range of packages you can choose from is almost bewildering and it's wise to take a moment to sit down and consider your needs and budget rather than just plumping for one right off.

In short, Blockbuster is right up there with the market leaders. It lags a little behind our number one choice in a few areas, but if you’re not interested in downloading movies and have a Blockbuster store handy in your Neighbourhood, this may be the best choice for you.

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Review of Blockbuster.com / Blockbuster Online