Blockbuster - Are You Getting Charged Large Sums For No Reason? Or So You Think? If you've ever been charged from Blockbuster and have no idea why, read this... Hillborum New Jersey

I have seen more than enough reports on this website from customers who claim they are being fraudulently charged. For the most part, I just think you are all consumers who are not reading the fine print...so I will fill you in on something.

Every store in the company of Blockbuster has (now) different hours and has (always) different rental policies. There are a few rental policies and here are a few:

1. Daily Late Fees. You will get charged the cost of a rental every rental period you are late returning the movie. You pay 5$ for a movie for two days and keep it out 10, you're charged for 4 rental periods, that's 20$.

2. No Late FEES! Which is correct. However! It goes like this. You get a rental for either 2 or 7 days and then, you get 7 days extra (and even 2 extra so that you can have some wiggle room) to return the movie without being charged! So you rent a week rental on the first, it's due back on the 8th, but you have till the 15th. HOWEVER, on the 17th, that's the day you'll get charged. You get charged at midnight as well.

You won't pay any LATE fees but you will get charged for the movie as if you wanted to keep it because you had it for longer than 10 days. So, a movie that is 7 days is usually 14.99...that's about 16$ you'll see on your credit card statement. After the date of being charged, you have exactly 30 days to return the movie and get a refund. You bought it, so you have a 30 day guarantee, basically. If you do manage to return the movie or game within those 30 days, you get a refund, excluding 1.25$...the cost of restocking the movie. Now, you kept the movie out for 12 days, and instead of (daily late fees) a total of 25$, you'll be temporarily charged 16$ and permanently charged 1.25$.

3. A happy medium. There are TONS of customers taking a big advantage to the no late fees. Employees do it to, and heck, it's nice to have that sort of freedom. However, people take advantage of it. So, take the no late fees policy and just cut the days. I'm not sure what this is called, but it's every item is a 5 day rental but you'll get charged after 5 extra days and you only have 10 days to return the item for a refund.

So, I say, it is up to the customer to find out what kind of policy your blockbuster video store has. Know what your due dates are...and how do you do that? Ask, or, keep your receipt and LOOK AT IT. If you don't get a receipt, complain.

Know what you're getting into. Blockbuster is a business and a lot of the customers posting on this site THINK they're being ripped off, but they're not. It's just a lack of knowledge. Knowledge that is everywhere and anywhere and completely and utterly available to anyone and everyone that walks through the entrance.

Of course, there are blockbusters out there that rip off people...but those are the employees themselves. YES, a new employee may MISS checking in your movie and you MAY get charged...but if you didn't have that Credit card on file, you wouldn't know! Which, if you see the charge, you can call and get it fixed asap. Right? Right.

I will admit it. Mistakes happen, all the time. Employees are human. And unless that employee does it on purpose because you pissed them off, then try to be a nice customer. Please. For the sake of everyone's sanity. Know you're facts.

Nuggets
Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.