More Spam!

[maveness]

I'm rocking the bitchy today. I cancelled my online Blockbuster membership (that's akin to Netflix) August 31. I know the date because I was headed out to see paperbkryter on Sept. 1, and I wanted to make sure I cancelled it before they billed me for another month (Sept. 2 would be the date of billing).

Well, bank statements state I was billed for the month of September on September 2. Yeah. After I cancelled. Oh well, sometimes there's a mistake. As long as they fix it and apologize, right?

My first email:

I cancelled my account August 31. On September 2 I was charged for the next month of membership, after my account was closed. I would like a reimbursement for the $16 and change that were erroneously charged to me.


Their response:

Subject
Cancelled account

Discussion Thread
Response (Blockbuster Online) 11/15/2005 04:57 AM
Dear Heather,


Thank you for contacting BLOCKBUSTER Online Customer Service.

I apologize for the inconvenience, Heather. Please know, that as per the terms and conditions of your membership, under the section reading BLOCKBUSTER Online Rentals At Time of Cancellation or Expiration. All outstanding rentals must be received by BLOCKBUSTER Online no later than thirty (30) days past the expiration date of the Membership Term. For example, if your Membership Term expires on June 5 and on June 4 you receive a BLOCKBUSTER Online Rental in the mail, that BLOCKBUSTER Online Rental must be received by BLOCKBUSTER Online on June 15th. If Blockbuster does not receive any BLOCKBUSTER Online Rentals by 10 days past the expiration date of the Membership Term, your Payment Card will be charged $19.99 (plus applicable taxes) for each outstanding BLOCKBUSTER Online Rental. If Blockbuster later receives any BLOCKBUSTER Online Rental for which you have previously been charged, Blockbuster will refund to your Payment Card the amount of the charge, less a restocking fee of up to $4.20 per item. Blockbuster may increase both the amount that you are charged for unreturned product and the amount of any restocking fee at any time.

Thanks for understanding.


Your Friends at BLOCKBUSTER Online

*fumes*

Um, obviously their math is special and they didn't bother to READ anything I wrote in a very, very short paragraph. My response?

"Unfortunately, that is NOT the case in this instance.

For the charge to have been made to my account because of a DVD being more than 10 days past due, it would have to have been charged LATER than September 2. According to your own rules, since I cancelled the account on August 31, I had until September 9 to return any DVDs. Furthermore, the charge to my bank account was made on September 2. This is when all previous monthly charges to teh account were made. And lastly, since the charge was NOT for $19.99 as your contract states, and was for the monthly membership fee (two different dollar amounts), it's fairly easy to surmise that I was charged for a month's membership after cancelling the account.

So.

I expect a response from a PERSON, not an automated form. Especially a person that can read. Feel free to call me at XXXXXX. I would LOVE to give my opinion of a process that doesn't take time to actually understand what people are saying."

Comments

[jennifus.livejournal.com]

*hug* The bastards. My dad had a lot of trouble with them too.

[maveness.livejournal.com]

I would have been fine if it was "Well, sometimes there's an overlap, so we'll get that fixed." But to flat out miss everything I said?

I hate Blockbuster anyway. They annoy.

[jennifus.livejournal.com]

I'm well aware, I used to work in one of the stores.

Netflix is better.

[tourofduty.livejournal.com]

Ugh, Blockbuster just has this habit of giving their customers a hard time. I don't know how the hell they haven't gone out of business yet.

[maveness.livejournal.com]

I got into a fight with them when I rented from them way back in the day. At the time I signed up for online, they had a great deal going...which they rescinded two months later (hence the cancellation). And I wasn't having any problems with their service - just the customer service guys *now*.

[juxtoppozed.livejournal.com]

Weren't they sued recently for deliberate misrepresentation (something about their ads saying there are no more late fees, and people incurring fees or something...after the suit the ads were pulled)? Why are they still being such asses. You'd think they'd make customer satisfaction a priority after an incident like that.

[tourofduty.livejournal.com]

I believe they were. You really would think, after something like that, they would learn NOT to be total dicks that ignored what their customers wanted, but they're obviously just continuing on with their dickhead ways.

[dragonsinger.livejournal.com]

Yikes! I certainly hope Netflix doesn't do that to me.

[maveness.livejournal.com]

Netflix has better customer service, luckily. Although it drives me nuts that their distribution center is in town, and Blockbuster, coming from Charlotte, would still get DVDs to me faster than Netflix.

[dragonsinger.livejournal.com]

Interesting.

[roguewords.livejournal.com]

*feels she must point out that this:


Please know, that as per the terms and conditions of your membership, under the section reading BLOCKBUSTER Online Rentals At Time of Cancellation or Expiration.

is not a sentence.*

You would think that if they had to send form letters, they would at least contain full sentences.

[maveness.livejournal.com]

LOL

It was such a cut and paste job on their part. Hee! I'm glad that whoever wrote the forms screwed up. It's good for the mocking.

[pmgoose.livejournal.com]

Good grief! Talk about crappy customer service!

[maveness.livejournal.com]

It's like playing "Which of these things is not like the other." *snicker*

[tenel.livejournal.com]

oh add me as a netflix friend. :)

I just realized this...

[tenel.livejournal.com]

Will sell children for a netflix fix. Not *my* children, I don't have any. Just *your* children or any random kid that passes by me. :) 8 DVDs are tempting.

Re: I just realized this...

[pmgoose.livejournal.com]

*giggles*

[maveness.livejournal.com]

What name are you under?