never called about late movies and charged way too much!

I too, like other posters, worked at a Blockbuster.

Blockbuster either sends you cards or calls you. If you didn't recieve
either, you probably signed up with false or old information, because
they only go by what they have in their computers from the contract
that you filled out and signed.

Also, when they "call" you, it is an automated voicemail, so if you
got a call from an unkown number and didn't answer and/or you don't
have a voicemail on the number that you have on your account, then the
machine just hangs up.

Again, most people don't read the rules on the contract before renting
a movie, and when they actually have consequences for their actions,
they freak out and want compensation.

So, is your credit card or mortgage company supposed to call before
the due date every month. You think Blockbuster is supposed to hire a
guy that calls all the delinquents before their due date? I worked at
a Hollywood video when I was in High School. The amount of people
that actually return there crap on time has got to be less than 50%.
And everyone wants to be relieved of their late fees... always. This
is another situation where a manager doesn't want to get yelled at by
a general manager because of some guy/girl.

Sorry think about how long you had the movies. They could have easily
made more than 30 bucks on the two movies in rentals for that month.
Not to mention you were charged .50 cents a day per movie, thats
pretty cheap. They just wanted their lost profit back because you had
their profit making supplies. Its like, if an airline can't use their
airplanes, how the heck can they make money?

Your responsibility.

Coupons are in the mail.

To remind you about something you took responsibility for? Does your
boss call you every morning to remind you to get to work on time so
you don't get fired? Probably not!

Does your Mother call you every morning and tell you to brush your
teeth and lock the doors before you go to bed? Probably not!

Really now! I could go on but I think you get the point. Everything
you do in life is YOUR resopnsibility. No one elses. Got it?

Peace!

I don't say this to be mean nor am I trying to be funny, but this
borders on delusion.

If they're supposed to contact you 7 times, they should have contacted
you 7 times. I cannot imagine that that's a policy that endears them
to the people who remember to take their movies back to the store,
though, given that it costs money to mail postcards and have employees
phone people and that they pass those costs on to their customers.
And really, the customers who bring their movies back on time are
worth more to them than customers who don't -- because that's 30 days
during which they owned these movies but couldn't rent them to anyone
-- so I cannot imagine that that will be a policy for very long.

But if you're supposed to return your movies on time or within 30 days
of on time, you should have done that. It simply is not the case that
the only way you could have known to return the movies soon enough to
avoid buying them is to have received 6 more notifications than you
did. You were told when you needed to return the movies when you
rented them, and then you were told at least once more. If you really
need a bunch of reminders in order to take care of your end of the
agreement, I'd suggest that you find a way to ensure that you get
them. I'm sure there are services that will send you free emails at
specified times to remind you of whatever you want, though I'm still
on the low-tech calendar system.

You're not paying because they didn't do your job; you're paying
because you didn't do your job. And you weren't forced to keep the
movies for 31 days after they were due by their failure to contact
you. You were free to return them at any time -- as you proved by
returning them on the 31st day despite the fact that they did nothing
on the 30th day to encourage you to do so.

Have you looked into a service like Netflix? There are times when
I'll watch something the day I get it and mail it back immediately,
and there are times when I've got movies lying around for awhile until
I am reminded by my own desire to watch something else to return them.
It might be a better fit for you.

No, honey, you bear ALL the responsibility.

I'm sorry, but in what bizarre parallel universe is it EVER
Blockbuster's job to hound you to return your movies? I mean, to be
honest, this is your word against theirs. You could have let the
messages pile up on the voicemail or not picked up your mail and then
claimed they never contacted you. It still all comes down to YOU
rented the movies, YOU agreed to the terms, YOU failed to return them
promptly. No one FORCED you to do anything.

And in 30 days, you hadn't even watched them yet????

Well! I'll bet you'll never make THIS mistake again. Then again, if
they give in and let you off the hook, then you'll just think it's
acceptable because you managed to get away with it this time.

What is Blockbuster's latest policy on late fees? I don't go there,
but the last I recall, they had a "no late fees" policy. You could
keep the rental for as long as you wanted. After 30 days (or
something like that), they'd charge you the full amount of a "buy."
If you returned the rental after that, they'd buy it back for the full
amount MINUS a fee. That fee, I thought, was relatively low
($1.50?).

Has this changed?

Here's what I found at BB's web site: "Store rentals are due back at
the date and time stated on the transaction receipt. There is no
additional rental charge if a member keeps a rental item up to 7 days
beyond the pre-paid rental period. After 7 days beyond the due date,
Blockbuster will automatically convert the rental to a purchase on the
8th day and will charge the member the selling price for the item in
effect at the time of the rental. Member then has 30 days to return
the product and receive a credit for the selling price charged, less a
$1.25 restocking fee. These terms available at participating stores
only. Franchisee restocking fees may vary."

Christine,

It is time to be an adult now and accept ALL the responsibility for
what you did (or didn't do) rather than trying to blame someone else
for your errors.

The "I'm a victim" cry falls on deaf ears when you are the person
resonsible for living up to your end of the agreement you signed. It
never is Blockbuster's job to remind you to turn in your rented
movies. It merely is a courtesy the company does for you. Trying to
blame the staff at Blockbuster for what you failed to do only makes
you look childish.

That you have been late in the past tells me that you have made it a
habit of not thinking about or taking seriously your obligations.
Maybe this $38.75 loss will help you remember that businesses take
these agreements seriously.

Since when is it BB's responsibility to call people who are past the
grace period? This was your fault.

By renting the movies, you were agreeing to Blockbuster's terms -
including the one that stated you must return them within 30 days.
Late is late - whether it's one day or one year. Sorry, but you didn't
hold up your end of the bargain. I'm assuming you're an adult if you
have your own Blockbuster membership. You should therefore be beyond
the stage of needing to be told seven times to do something.

Instead of "selling back" the movie to Blockbuster for $1.50, I would
have put it on Half.com. You might have gotten more for it.

You bear all of the responsibility

Wow. If you need a call to remind you to take back your movies, I hope
you don't have any pets and/or children. You bring up a weighty word,
responsiblity. There is a five-year-old in my house who marks on the
kitchen calander when her library books are due back. I think an adult
could remember within a month to return rented DVDs. You know the
penalty when you rent the movies. Grow. Up.

"I did receive one postcard right after the due date, but I hadn't
watched them yet, and it stated that I had 30 days." (you sunk
yourself here)

Let me understand this, in other words you deliberately kept the
movies past the return date thinking that because you had not had the
time to view them yet it gave you the right to keep them until you did
get ready to view the movies.
So by your logic, you hold no responsibility for keeping them over the
due date and its strictly Blockbusters fault.
I totally agree that it is Blockbusters fault for renting to you when
you are scamming them.

Pay the the fines and get on with your life.

Who calls you to remind you to clean your house? Do laundry? Buy
groceries? I hope the answer to that is "nobody" because you ought to
know all those things on your own. Just like when you need to return
videos. Why should they have to nag you? Grow up! Furthermore, the
fact that you were a day outside the 30 day period tells me you
probably never forgot, but rather procrastinated!

"I realize that I bear SOME responsibility for keeping the movies 1
day past the grace period, but I believe Blockbuster should bear some
responsibility as well."

Are you kidding me? What responsibility should Blockbuster bear?
Their responsibility is to offer movies for rent, and they did that.
Your responsibility is to return items that don't belong to you in the
time allowed. You got a 30 day grace period. You were already late
at the BEGINNING of those 30 days. The grace period IS the courtesy
given to you by Blockbuster.

There has to be a cutoff date. Does it matter if it's one day or 70
days past the grace period? Furthermore, how do you know what amount
of money Blockbuster was unable to receive for the rental of those
movies because they were unavailable due to your negligence in
returning them? It's possible that they may have been able to get
more than $40 rent during that time period. Additionally, after a
certain period of time, Blockbuster probably writes off unreturned
videos as a loss, and then must purchase replacements. Think about
that, eh?

BB owes you nothing. This is all your fault. BB doesn't have a
responsibility to remind you that your videos are late during your
grace period.

That does seem a bit much for two movies...yes you DO owe some
responsibility toward this. Blockbuster usually after 30 days, charges
you the previously viewed fee for them. which ought to be maybe 25
dollars total.

Or were they Blu ray format? Usually those movies tend to be pricier
and that could be the reason for such an exorbitant fee. just
wondering...

Given the OP's over-the-top expectation of a movie rental place, I'm
skeptical that the manager told her that they will attempt to contact
a late person SEVEN times. I just find that tidbit extremely
difficult to believe.

Christine, this is a lesson you should have learned around age 10 when
you forgot about a library book and had to pay 30 cents.

You're kidding, right?

The only one responsible for your charges is you. This letter is one
more shining example of people not taking responsibility for their
actions. Incredible!

Next thing you know we'll be reading a letter from the OP complaining
about overdraft bank charges, when...."Gee, if the bank had only
called me when my account balance started to get low I would have
rushed right down and deposited more money. It's not fair that they
bounced my checks."

Grow up and take responsibility for yourself.

Reminders are a courtesy. You knew the policy and returned them late,
this is on you.

The last time we rented a movie and someone said they would return it
for us and they swore they returned it and it "never got there" it
cost us $200 for a VHS!!!!!!!!!! so count yourself lucky.
They did your job, it was you who didn't do yours. On the chance that
I forget to bring back movies (I rent from the redbox and they charge
your debit/cc per day you have the movie) and I forget to bring it
back for a few days after watching it, I eat the daily fees. I can't
expect a box in my grocery store to remind me to bring it back.

One Day past the due date means you own it. A reminder is a courtesy,
not an excuse. I hope you enjoy the movies!

The threat of paying $40 for a movie I don't want is plenty reminder
for me. I return them weeks ahead of time. I make a mental note of
the due date when I walk out of the store.

I see you that you *received* a reminder. But *after* you received
the reminder they were late, you proceeded to "forget" you had the
movies (and you hadn't bothered to watch them at the time you received
the notice - when were you planning to watch them?). You need to do a
much better job at being responsible.

The bottom line is you didn't do your job. Don't try to blame BB for
your failure to act responsibly. They don't owe you anything.

Are you serious? Seven reminders?!! Wow. That's amazing.